The number one reason
for Navision’s remarkable success is the product’s built-in
customization capabilities. The importance of customization capabilities
is best described as follows:
Accounting system developers figured out
long ago that the process of adding a never ending stream of
enhancements to an accounting system eventually resulted in “bloatware”
that was so cluttered with features that users found the product
difficult, if not impractical to use. To alleviate this problem,
developers focused their attentions on producing accounting systems
which contained the core features most desired by the masses, along with
built-in tools designed to allow end users to customize the product
specifically for their needs. Navision Software provides an excellent
example of this approach. The scenario presented below provides a basic
understanding of how this process works.
Assume that Navision
has been installed for a boat marina operator, and there are specific
additions to the system that would be beneficial to that customer.
Presented below is the basic Navision customer screen which does not
capture critical data such as the name of the customer’s boat, the slip
number where the boat is parked, the level of fuel, the boat mechanic’s
name and phone number, tag expiration, etc. Using Navision’s built-in
customization tools, the reseller or end user can solve this problem in
a matter of minutes.
The first step is to launch the Object
Designer application as shown below:
As you can see in the screen shot above, the
Object Designer is very similar to Microsoft Access, and works almost
the same way. Those who are already familiar with Access find it very
easy to customize Navision. Those who are not familiar with Access
report that the tools are quick and easy to learn. The next step is to
create the new data fields that the boat marina would like to add to
their system. This process involves simply typing in the name of the
fields to be added and indicating the type and length of data field.
The final step involves
the placement of these new data fields on the appropriate user screens
and reports throughout the system. As shown below, these fields are
simply dragged from the field menu and positioned onto the appropriate
user screens.
The result shown below
is an accounting system that not only offers strong core functionality,
but also offers additional functionality specific to the end user’s
needs.
Navision’s
customization capabilities are coveted for the following reasons:
1.
The tools are
quick and easy to use, similar to those in Microsoft Access.
2.
Customizations
are virtually unlimited; users can make up to 50,000 changes to the
system.
3.
Customizations
are not lost when the user migrates to newer versions of Navision. These
customizations
can be imported into the new version.
4.
Navision’s
customization tools allow the user to not only add new data fields to
the system, but users
can change any thing in Navision as well. For example, Customer’s could
be renamed as “Clients”,
“Patients”, “Members”, “Donors”, “Pets”, “Patrons”, “Associates”,
“Affiliates”, “Shoppers”, “Consumers”,
etc.
5. Navision’s
customization tools allow the user to create new tabs in a dialog box,
new dialog boxes, new
tables,
and new reports.
6. Navision’s
customization tools include a “Dataport” feature that will import data
into Navision from
virtually any remote source, complete with data verification. The screen
below shows the Dataport
creation screen:
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